Israel at war: What happened on Day 58?

In a new series of videos released Saturday by the headquarters for the hostages, the women who returned from Hamas captivity stood in front of the camera and spoke about the difficult conditions in captivity. The women pled with the government to hurry and get all the hostages out of Gaza. "If we don't get them out now, they won't get out alive."

Danielle Aloni, who was released along with her 6-year-old daughter Emilia Aloni after 49 days, recounted: "On October 7, we were brutally kidnapped from our home, our daughter saw things that children at that age, or at any age, should not see.

"A horror movie, you feel like you want to pinch yourself and wake up from this movie," Aloni described the captivity, "I'm speaking and I'm shaking. It was horrifying, it was scary. There's no schedule, nothing, we fall alseep crying, each additional day that passes is an eternity that never ends. My brother-in-law is still there, his brother, his partner, and her brother, and people there are at risk, people can die because they simply decided to murder them."

'Every day is critical'

Yocheved Lifschitz, 85, who was released from Hamas captivity after 17 days, also spoke about those terrifying days. "I hardly slept in the tunnels. I had a problem with the food and in the last days, I got sick. They were afraid I would cause a sickness in the tunnels," she said, "Every day is critical also because of the conditions, and the living conditions there are very difficult and the oxygen in the tunnels is running out."

relatives of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza since the October 7 massacre hold a press conference in Tel Aviv on November 29, 2023. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)

"The fear is that they will take revenge on our kidnap victims. A life for a life with the Palestinians, that's what they will do," she continues and describes, "I'm scared every day, there are other 85-year-old friends there, and younger ones who can't handle the psychological and health pressure. And it's the moral duty of this government to bring them back immediately without hesitation."

Yaffa Adar, 85, who was released after 49 days, also pled for the release of all the kidnap victims. "I was in that hell, I'm asking, begging, from all decision-makers to get the children out, get everyone out. It's not easy, not for them and not for the families."

"I'm speaking from here and I think maybe I'll be here for many more mothers and grandmothers who are asking the same request, release the children, now! Now I want to see them. Not when I'm in the grave," Adar said.

Raz Ben Ami, a 57-year-old woman, was released from captivity after 54 days. In her statement, she expressed deep gratitude to the people of Israel for their love and efforts in rescuing the kidnap victims. She said, "I want to say thank you for bringing me back, thank you for being here, thank you for allowing me to return and live my life."

Her husband, Ohad Ben Ami, and the father of their daughters, remains in Hamas captivity.

Ben Ami conveyed her longing for the return of all kidnap victims, including her beloved husband, Ohad Ben Ami, so he could be reunited with his daughters. She continued to call for the release of all those still held captive.

Emphasizing the love and support she has received, she expressed a strong desire for their immediate return. "The love I'm receiving here, it's incomparable. I want them to come. Bring them back here, now, at this moment, all of them. They don't deserve the terrible suffering there. Bring them back as soon as possible. It's unbearable there; we must get the kidnap victims out. If we don't get them out now, they won't come out alive," she stated.

Ditza Heiman, 84, who was released after 53 days, also recounted her experiences. "The food was not plentiful from the start, but as time went on, it became less and less," she said, "These are conditions of starvation, you could say. As time passes, the damage grows, and the body's ability to endure diminishes. It's a matter of life and death, a mental danger. They must be brought out immediately."

The IDF said it was looking into reports that an Iron Dome interceptor had misfired and landed after rockets were fired toward central Israel on Saturday night, according to Israeli media.

Earlier in the evening, footage on Israeli television showed what appeared to be an Iron Dome interceptor spinning out of control and then crashing. No damage or injuries were reported in the incident.

Police arrested an imam overnight on Friday on suspicion of supporting Hamas, the police spokesperson said on Saturday evening.

The imam was arrested after delivering a sermon during which he allegedly made statements in support of Hamas, alongside “threatening” remarks.

The religious leader’s detention was subsequently extended to Sunday.

A ground campaign is the only way to win the Gaza War, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said as he pledged to destroy Hamas, just after Qatari-mediated talks for an additional truce and further hostage releases collapsed in Doha late Saturday afternoon.

“We will continue the war until we achieve all its goals,” Netanyahu told reporters in a late night press briefing.

He turned to the international community, stating, “you are partners in our goal of eliminating Hamas and freeing the rest of our hostages.

“Therefore I emphasize to you as well: There is no other way to achieve these goals but to win – and there is no way to win except by continuing the ground campaign,” he stated.

Netanyahu underscored that this would be done while “observing international law.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks, 2 December, 2023. (credit: AMOS BEN GERSHOM/GPO)

The IDF, he stressed, is acting to protect Israeli citizens both against Hamas in the South and Hezbollah in the North.

“We are continuing the policy we established: a strong deterrence in the North; clear decisive [victory] in the South.”

He issued a warning to Hezbollah not to open a second front in the North. “If Hezbollah makes a mistake and enters into a large-scale war,” then it will be responsible for Lebanon’s destruction.

Netanyahu spoke one day after the Gaza war resumed following a seven day “pause” from November 24 to December 1.

During that time, 110 captives were freed, Netanyahu said, including 86 Israelis and 24 foreigners.

Israel had hoped that the deal, which focused on freeing women and children, would have extended into Sunday.

The women and children held by Hamas

During a separate press conference earlier in the night, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that there were still 15 women and two children being held hostage in Gaza.

This included Shiri Bibas, 32, and her two children, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, aged 10 months.

The Bibas children are the only two remaining in Gaza; the rest of the children were released last week.

The two men held separate press conferences. Netanyahu told reporters he had invited Gallant to hold a joint one with him, but that the defense minister had preferred to speak to the press on his own.

Talks in Doha to put the Gaza war back on hold – which would have allowed for the 15 women and two children to be released – continued even after the fighting resumed on Friday morning.

But they broke down completely on Saturday night as Israel ordered Mossad negotiators to return home.

“Director of the Mossad David Barnea has instructed his team in Doha to return to Israel,” Netanyahu’s office said, explaining that this followed “an impasse in the negotiations.”

“The terrorist organization Hamas did not uphold its part of the agreement, which included the release of all of the children and women according to a list that was given to Hamas and approved by it,” the PMO said.

It issued its statement after an emotional week ending on Thursday night, in which for seven days, Israel had welcomed home the 110 hostages in seven stages.

They were among the 240 hostages Hamas seized during its October 7 infiltration of southern Israel in which the terror group also killed over 1,200 people.

Qatar – which together with Egypt, had mediated the deal – had also engaged in talks about the release of the more than 110 male hostages, including soldiers, five of them female. Those talks also came to a halt.

Macron's visit to Qatar

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said he planned to travel to Qatar to see if he could help put the process back on track.

At the press conference in Jerusalem on Saturday night, Netanyahu ducked a question by a reporter about whether or not Israel had rejected alternative suggestions by Hamas, that would have allowed for elderly men to be part of the deal rather than the women.

Deputy Hamas chief Saleh Al-Arouri told the pan-Arab Al Jazeera TV on Saturday that no more prisoners would be exchanged with Israel until there was a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails were released. Those prisoners are held on terror charges, including killing Israelis or on more minor security related offenses.

”Let the war take its course. This decision is final. We will not compromise on it,” Arouri said.

Netanyahu said that “Hamas violated the deal” and he had always said that if they did this, “the war would resume.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who came to the region at the end of last week, partially in hopes of helping to see the hostage deal extended, also told reporters in the United Arab Emirates on Friday that Hamas had violated the deal.

He had flown there after visiting Israel, to participate in the United Nations COP28 Climate Conference.

The temporary truce in Gaza, he said, “came to an end because of Hamas; Hamas reneged on commitments it made.”

“In fact, even before the pause came to an end, it committed an atrocious terrorist attack in Jerusalem [on Thursday], killing three people, and wounding others, including Americans.

“It began firing rockets before the pause had ended. And as I said, it reneged on commitments it made in terms of releasing certain hostages.”

The Biden administration, he said, is committed to ensuring that all the hostages are returned.

“We’re also very much focused, as we’ve been all along, on trying to make sure that this conflict doesn’t spread, that it doesn’t escalate in other places. 

“But we’re also using our diplomacy to look at not only what’s happening today and how we’re handling that, but also what happens the day after in Gaza and how we can get on the path to a just, lasting, and secure peace for Israelis, for Palestinians – in fact, for everyone in the region.  And that’s also a big focus of our diplomacy.”

While at COP28, he said, he had spoken with his contemporaries from other countries on all these topics.

He clarified that the United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself through a military campaign in Gaza, but underscored that the IDF must do its utmost to minimize Palestinian civilian losses and to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

“We’ve also been very clear that we support Israel and its efforts to make sure that October 7th never happens again.  We’ve also been very clear about the imperative of doing that in a way that puts a premium on protecting civilians and making sure that humanitarian assistance gets to those who need it,” Blinken stated.

The US is “going to be looking very closely” to make sure that Israel does everything possible to protect Palestinian civilians during its military campaign, Blinken said.

Prior to leaving Israel, Blinken had said that the US had wanted to see plans to ensure Palestinian civilian safety before the IDF embarked on a military campaign in southern Gaza.

Netanyahu told reporters on Saturday night that the US and Israel were more aligned than divided on the issue of the Gaza war, but that in the end, “this is our war and we have to make the decisions.”

In the UAE on Friday, President Isaac Herzog held a series of meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations COP28 Climate Conference as part of his effort to help secure the return of some remaining 137 hostages held by Hamas.

He met with the Emir of Qatar His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and circulated a photograph of the two of them shaking hands. It is the first such public high-level meeting between an Israeli and a Qatari official, given that Israel and Qatar do not have formal diplomatic relations.

Herzog also met President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and His Royal Highness King Charles III. In his meetings, Herzog emphasized the humanitarian duty of releasing the hostages and appealed to world leaders to join this effort. He also said it is Israel’s “right and duty” to defend itself against the security threat posed by Hamas to bring safety back to Israel.

Silva told Herzog that he had spoken with the leaders of South American nations and called on them to support the return of the hostages. All of the leaders condemned the act of terror committed by Hamas against the Israeli people.

Reuters and Maayan Hoffman contributed to this report.

Released hostages staged a huge rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, in front of the Defense Ministry, featuring speeches by former hostages who, along with their families, have urgently requested a meeting with the war cabinet, to push for the release of all remaining hostages.

Hadas Calderon, whose children Sahar, 16, and Erez, 12, were recently released from captivity, expressed mixed emotions: “I am overwhelmed with joy and sadness. A miracle happened to me, and I pray the same for everyone else. I’m deeply moved to be here today, knowing that my beloved Ereziko and Saharki are safe at home. Their return has brought light and immense hope into my life. My very own superheroes have endured and made it back.”

Calderon further described her children’s experience: “They likened it [captivity] to the Fortnite war game, a game that transformed into a shocking reality, something beyond our wildest imaginations. Their first words to me were, ‘Mom, you’re alive, we didn’t realize you were alive.’ The harrowing uncertainty of who is alive or dead, and when this nightmare will end, haunts every hostage, leaving them in darkness and helplessness.

“Their testimonies are heart-wrenching and terrifying, marking an unprecedented journey through hell. It’s an ordeal no child, man, woman, or person should ever endure.”

Elena Trupanov, freed from captivity in Gaza with her  73-year-old mother Irena Tati, shared her relief and determination: “I am Sasha Trupanov’s mother, and I stand here grateful and moved. Your support has been crucial; without it, I wouldn’t be here. We must now focus on bringing back my Sasha and everyone else.”

Yifat Zailer, cousin of Shiri Bibas. December 2, 2023. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI)

Also present at the rally was Yifat Zailer, cousin of Shiri Bibas, who was kidnapped with her young children, Ariel and Kfir, and her husband Yarden. The Bibas family has become one of the symbols of this war.

Zailer conveyed a powerful message from the Bibas family: ‘We refuse to be broken by this ordeal,” she said, countering Hamas’s claim that Shiri and her children were killed. “These past two months have been a roller-coaster of emotions, particularly the last two weeks. My nine-month-old son, born two months after Kfir, deserves to grow up with his cousin. Please, remember us and them. Continue to believe in the good; don’t let anything pull you down. They will return home; everyone will return home.”

The hostages’ headquarters announced their demand for an immediate meeting with the war cabinet: “With the ceasefire ended and combat resumed, it’s crucial to keep the captives’ families informed. The clear and immediate danger to the lives of the captives leaves no room for doubt.

“Every day could be their last; we cannot abandon them,” the families of the captives urged. “We are deeply concerned for the well-being of everyone still there. We call upon the prime minister and the war cabinet to meet with us tonight and provide a road map for bringing everyone back home today,” they implored.

Simultaneous anti-Netanyahu protests

Also on Saturday evening, a protest was staged outside of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Caesarea, calling on the prime minister to step resign.

ההפגנה המוקדמת מול ה- #אשם @netanyahu בקיסריה
קרדיט: אפרת ספרן

וב-19:30: הפגנה נוספת בכיכר בראלי בקיסריה. #הדחה_עכשיו pic.twitter.com/xprrSVjOIT

— Nava Rozolyo נאווה רוזוליו🤸🏻‍♀️🤭🥑🌎 (@rozolyo) December 2, 2023

Social media reports highlighted a similar protest in Haifa calling on the “bloody government” to step down.

וגם בחיפה קוראים לממשלת הדמים: תתפטרו!
ול- #אשם @netanyahu: #הדחה_עכשיו

קרדיט: @haifaprotest pic.twitter.com/Jgm7whoZ7W

— Nava Rozolyo נאווה רוזוליו🤸🏻‍♀️🤭🥑🌎 (@rozolyo) December 2, 2023

Two far-right ministers and one Likud minister attacked Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas on Saturday night after he called on armed Palestinian factions to lay down their arms in a Friday CNN interview.

“I think the armed Palestinian factions need to stop using weapons and turn to a diplomatic project with the Palestinian Authority to strengthen the chances of a Palestinian state and announce an inclusive and permanent ceasefire to bring about peace and an end to this conflict,” he said.

After the comment drew outrage from Palestinians and Abbas’s Arab constituents, Ra’am published a clarification in his name, saying that when a Palestinian state is established, it will be the one to hold the weapons.

Complaints about Abbas

When Shabbat ended, various coalition ministers and MKs attacked Abbas for his remarks.

Lawmaker Mansour Abbas, head of the United Arab List attends a special session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, to approve and swear in a new right-wing government, in Jerusalem December 29, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/Amir Cohen/Pool/File Photo)

Energy Minister Israel Katz said: “Abbas thinks we’re stupid and that he’ll trick us with smooth but empty words,” and claimed that “In the morning, he talks about disarming the factions, and in the evening, he explains that actually it’s only after a Palestinian state is established.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted that “for anyone who was wondering, terrorist supporter Mansour Abbas doesn’t want to lay down the weapons that killed the elderly and babies.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also accused Abbas of supporting Israel’s enemies.

“No one is surprised by Abbas’s words,” he said. “The people of Israel have woken up and know very well who is standing by us and who supports our enemies.”

Legislation Committee chairman MK Simcha Rothman accused Abbas of encouraging Palestinians to continue bearing arms against Israel and supporting the killing of soldiers. Ra’am, Mansour Abbas, and the Islamic Movement in Israel are supporters of terrorism. Period,” he said.”

Labor Party leader Merav Michaeli praised Abbas, saying his statements demonstrate “a committed and real Jewish-Arab partnership”. “We can achieve security for all Israel’s citizens and security for the Palestinians only like this. This security will bring peace between us and our neighbors.” 

The IDF eliminated a Hamas commander who was responsible for the attack on IDF soldiers in Operation Protective Edge in 2014 during which Oron Shaul was kidnapped and for directing the attack on Nahal Oz on October 7, the IDF Spokesperson's said on Saturday.

The commander was identified as Wissam Farhat, the commander of Hamas's Shejaiya Battalion. In 2014, Farhat commanded Hamas terrorists in an attack on an armored personnel carrier in the Shejaiya neighborhood, killing seven soldiers, including Oron Shaul. Shaul's body was taken by Hamas terrorists and has been held by the terrorist organization in Gaza since.

Farhat also helped plan the Hamas massacre on October 7 and sent the Nukhba terrorists who targeted Kibbutz Nahal Oz and the Nahal Oz outpost. The Hamas commander also was one of the terrorists who planned a deadly terrorist attack against a pre-military school in Atsmona in Gush Katif in 2002 and anti-tank fire which targeted a bus in 2011 and killed an Israeli child.

In 1995, Farhat was arrested while on his way to carry out a suicide attack and was imprisoned for ten years. After returning to Gaza, he worked in rocket production for Hamas.

IDF eliminates terrorists, destroys tunnels in Jabalya

The IDF 551st Brigade combat team completed a mission in Jabalya, in the Gaza Strip, on Saturday, having eliminated Hamas terrorists and destroyed terrorist infrastructure, the IDF said.

The demolished infrastructure included tunnels and subterranean structures.

During the operation, which began before the initiation of the now-ended ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, IDF troops identified and destroyed a Hamas terror tunnel which extended tens of meters belowground.

A Hamas tunnel in a school

The tunnel was located in the courtyard of a school compound.

Another tunnel was located and destroyed in the home of a Hamas naval force operative, the IDF stated.

Soldiers of the 551st Brigade, along with Israeli special forces, also worked to eliminate subterranean infrastructure north of Jabalya, where Israeli troops subsequently Isolated and secured an area to facilitate further IDF activity.

Additionally, along with the air force and artillery units, IDF troops destroyed numerous pieces of Hamas combat equipment, including weapons, explosives, launchers, and ammunition.

Deputy Hamas chief Saleh Al-Arouri told the pan-Arab Al Jazeera TV on Saturday that no more prisoners would be exchanged with Israel until there was a ceasefire in Gaza.

Arouri said the hostages still being held captive by Hamas were Israeli soldiers and civilian men who had previously served in the Israeli army.

He said they would not be freed unless there was a ceasefire and all Palestinian detainees were also released.

"Let the war take its course. This decision is final. We will not compromise on it," Arouri said.